Beedie lecturer Kamal Masri awarded Canadian Cancer Society honour

Beedie School of Business lecturer Kamal Masri was presented with the Community Champion Award in front of his BUS 361 class by Carissa Halley, Team Lead, Annual Giving at the Canadian Cancer Society.

Beedie School of Business lecturer Kamal Masri has been awarded the Canadian Cancer Society’s Community Champion Award, in recognition of his remarkable fundraising efforts for the Society.  

The Community Champion Award recognizes excellence in corporate and community partners in community fundraising, program delivery, or other priority areas at the Community level.

Masri received the award for his work in spearheading the 25toLife project, a partnership between the Beedie School of Business’ BUS 361 Project Management class and the Canadian Cancer Society.

He was nominated for the award by Carissa Halley, Team Lead, Annual Giving at the Canadian Cancer Society, and presented with the award on September 14 at the SFU Surrey Campus in front of the BUS 361 class.

“I am honoured to receive this award, particularly since it comes from an organization that contributes so much to society,” says Masri. “It is extremely rewarding to focus our fundraising efforts to support people whose lives have been affected in some way by cancer.”

The 25toLife project asks students to plan and execute events that benefit the Canadian Cancer Society. Working as both one large group and within smaller teams, over two fall semesters the students raised over $53,000 through a series of diverse, innovative events.

In 2014 students organized events such as Are You Tougher Than Cancer, a five kilometer obstacle course race held in Bear Creek park, Surrey; and The Climb for Life, a 35-storey sponsored climb up the Harbour Centre lookout tower. The 2013 cohort of students, meanwhile, included in their portfolio events such as corporate speed networking, pub nights, cycle relays, and sponsored head-shaving.

“The Canadian Cancer Society has been very supportive of our students ever since we started the 25toLife project,” says Masri. “As well as raising money for a noble cause, the project teaches students many core business skills, such as project planning, financing, and project execution management. But most importantly, this allows the students to practice what they learn in a real-world setting.”

The award is the second prestigious honour Masri has won this year, after recently receiving the 2015 TD Canada Trust Distinguished Teaching Award – making him a two-time winner of the highest teaching honour available at SFU’s Beedie School of Business.

For more information on the Canadian Cancer Society, visit www.cancer.ca